Pets Scheme Approx Cost Involved?

I just adopted an almost 4 month old kitten, initially if I was to make the move over to the UK a friend of mine was going to take him in (made these arrangements before I rescued him, as I still have no set move date). Of course though, now I have become very attached to little Boo and am curious what the approx costs of moving him from the US to the UK may amount too? I've read up on it, so I know he would need the microchip, the rabies shot etc. (not even sure what these cost in total, but that I could always find out from my vet)... so does anyone have a clue as to what the paperwork, flight, carrier etc. may add up too? At least I have some time to start saving prehaps I should sit down first, don't want the cost to give me a heartattack hehehe

Also there is no way around the 6 months wait?

Thanks so much!
Angela & Boo

There are some threads about this deep in the pets board. Take a look there (or  take a shot with the search function)
Alternatively here's what you'll need to do to find out your specific costs:
1) call your Local USDA and see what they charge to certify the paperwork and
2) call your vet to see what they charge you for filling out the forms.
3) Look at defra's website to see approved routes from your area and call those airlines about their costs. Ask about kennel sizes and then...
4) Look on various pet store websites for costs of the proper size kennel for your airline/kitty. Don't forget accessories like water bottles and absorbent padding, etc. all of which will be required by your airline.

** don't forget there are some cruise boats which are approved routes of travel with pets

The way around the 6 month wait is quarantine Those are the 2 options. The PETS scheme is by far the cheaper option monetarily though costly in sanity loss.

Throughout the process you can call a DEFRA pets helpline who have been exceedingly helpful to me in the past (and others). I have heard tell that you can also fax them your paperwork in advance so they can give it a sanity check to see if you'll have any problems coming through.

Key things to remember:
1) follow the rules to the letter
2) do things in the proper order
3) don't leave it up to your vet, its your responsibility to check and verify all paperwork and the process. if the paperwork isn't done right you lose out not the vet
4) get originals of everything
5) make sure the microchip number is on everything
6) don't let any rabies vaccinations expire (this is key if you don't move before your kitty needs a booster vaccination)

Make sure you're sitting down.  I just shipped a 45 pound dog from Denver, CO to Manchester and it cost around $3000 for everything.  I did hire a professional to help me do the final move, but he only added maybe $200 to the total bill and was worth every penny.  Airfare alone for the dog was $1800.

For two cats, the most expensive estimate I got was $5,400. And that's not counting the initial vet appointments and carriers.

That was the high bid, though! The low bid was more like $2,200. I still have a few months to go, so I haven't made up my mind how to handle it yet. I may try to do it myself (but the savings wouldn't be that great; an awful lot of that is airfare).

Yeah. For two stray cats. If I didn't, my other half would never forgive me, though.

For me, the surprise was that we HAD TO use a shipping agent, which added about 1000 USD to the total.  I'd just be prepared for little surprises like that.. we didn't need an agent for her first inter-continental move.  (Airline requirement, not DEFRA).  Keep an eye on the DEFRA-approved routes, too, they may not be the cheapest options.  And they change.

Who'd have thunk that BA was NOT an approved carrier from Japan?

Oh, and make sure you're not landing on a UK holiday, that tacked on quite a bit to our original quote, even though it was the agent that had us move our arrival date.  They swallowed a bit of the cost, but not all..  The good thing was that we were in and out of the Animal Reception Centre within an hour.

So, total cost... a lot of money, plus some extra. 

For two cats, the most expensive estimate I got was $5,400. And that's not counting the initial vet appointments and carriers.

That was the high bid, though! The low bid was more like $2,200. I still have a few months to go, so I haven't made up my mind how to handle it yet. I may try to do it myself (but the savings wouldn't be that great; an awful lot of that is airfare).

Yeah. For two stray cats. If I didn't, my other half would never forgive me, though.

was this through a shipping company?

I called Virgin Atlantic today and they quoted me $1,210.28 to ship *three* cats on the same flight, as long as they were accompanied. This was just "advance research" as I don't plan on moving for another two years but the fellow on the phone said that he didn't think the prices would go up much more than 20% or so in a couple years.

Granted, this is for air-travel only...but it seems quite reasonable for three cats!

I have yet to add on the fees for paperwork and blood tests etc but I was quite pleased after speaking to the Virgin people :-)

No, the big quote was for everything. Pick them up at one door, drop them off at the other, all the paperwork and hassle in between. It might even have included that last more-than-24-but-less-than-48-hour vet appointment.

I'm tempted to use a service just because I figure they won't screw up the paperwork, which is more than I can say for me. I'm petrified that I messed up the simple form for their blood titer and won't find out until the last minute.